4th Destroyer Flotilla
The 4th Destroyer Flotilla during the First World War
ActiveAugust 1909 – July 1951
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
SizeFlotilla
Commanders
FirstCaptain Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt
LastCaptain Deric Holland-Martin

The British 4th Destroyer Flotilla , or Fourth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1909 to July 1951.

History

In 1907 the Home Fleet had a large formation of destroyers called the Home Fleet Flotilla of destroyers, Between February and June 1909 it was divided to form the 2nd and 4th Destroyer Flotillas. Between 1909 and 1912 it was part of the Home Fleet - 3rd Division at Portsmouth.[1] From 1912 to August 1914 it was reassigned and operating with the 1st Fleet.[2] At the start of World War One the flotilla was reassigned to the new Grand Fleet and was engaged at the Battle of Jutland[3] it remained with the GF until September 1916 when it was transferred to the Humber Force that was receiving shore support from the Humber Station till December 1916. The flotilla was next allocated to the Portsmouth Command until July 1917. After being ordered to leave Portsmouth it was reassigned to the Commander-in-Chief, Devonport where it remained till November 1918.[4] Following the end of World War One it was placed back with the Home Fleet until November 1919 when it was re-allocated to the Atlantic Fleet until August 1923.[5] It was reassigned to the Mediterranean Fleet where it remained until August 1936 when it was disbanded.[6] The flotilla was re-activated in September 1938 until October 1939 using only Tribal Class destroyers. It was next sent to join the Home Fleet from October 1939 – August 1941. Sent back to the Mediterranean to join Force H from August 1941 – April 1942. It returned to the Home Fleet in April 1942 and stayed with it till November. Between November 1942 and January 1943 it was back operating in Mediterranean.In January 1943 it was sent to join the Eastern Fleet in Trincomalee, Ceylon and remained there until October 1943. Sent back to Europe to re-join Force H in the Mediterranean until January 1944 before returning Ceylon.[7] It stays with the East Indies Fleet until November 1944 then is ordered back to Europe to join forces in the Mediterranean Sea until 1946. It transfers back to home waters where it stays until March 1951 it was re-designated the 4th Destroyer Squadron. The unit reforms again as part of the Mediterranean Fleet

Organizational changes

Note: Command structure organizational changes took place within Royal Navy post war period the term Flotilla was previously applied to a tactical unit until 1951 which led to the creation of three specific Flag Officers, Flotillas responsible for the Eastern, Home and Mediterranean fleets the existing destroyer flotillas were re-organized now as administrative squadrons.[8]

Operational deployments

Assigned toDatesNotes
Home FleetMarch 1907 to February 1909
Home Fleet, Portsmouth DivisionMarch 1909 to May 1912
Home Fleets, First FleetMay 1912 to July 1914
Grand FleetAugust 1914 – September 1916
Humber StationSeptember 1916 – December 1916
Portsmouth CommandDecember 1916 – March 1917
Plymouth CommandMarch 1917 – November 1918disbanded
Home FleetApril to November 1919reformed
Atlantic FleetNovember 1919 to August 1923
Mediterranean FleetAugust 1923 to August 1936disbanded
Mediterranean FleetSeptember 1938 to October 1939reforms as 2nd Tribal Flotilla/4th DF
Home FleetOctober 1939 – August 1941
Force HAugust 1941 – April 1942
Home FleetApril to November 1942
Mediterranean FleetNovember 1942 to January 1943
Eastern FleetJanuary to October 1943
Force HOctober 1943 – January 1944
East Indies FleetJanuary to November 1944
Mediterranean FleetNovember 1944 to 1946
Home Fleet1946 to 1951

Administration

Captains (D) afloat 4th Destroyer Flotilla

Incomplete list of post holders included:[9]

RankNameTermNotes
Captain (D) afloat 4th Destroyer Flotilla
1CaptainReginald Y. Tyrwhitt10 August 1909 – 2 August 1910(later Adm. of the Fleet)
2CaptainMortimer Silver2 August 1910 – 31 July 1912
3CaptainWilfred Henderson1 May 1912 – 5 July 1913
4CaptainRaymond Nugent8 August 1912
5CaptainRobert Corbett5 July 1913 – 20 August 1913
6CaptainCharles Wintour20 August 1913 – 31 May 1916
7CaptainCharles D. Roper1914
8CaptainEdward Gladstone3 June 1916 – 7 July 1916
9CaptainCharles D. Roper8 June 1915 – 6 July 1916
10CaptainPercy Withers6 July 1916 – 7 January 1917
11CaptainArthur E. Wood1 September 1917 – 1 March 1919
12CaptainDashwood Moir21 December 1920 – 15 January 1923
13CaptainSidney Bailey15 January 1923 – 15 January 1925(later Adm.)
14Captainthe Hon. Edward BinghamSeptember, 1923 – 1 October 1924(later R.Adm.)
15CaptainEdmond Mackinnon1 October 1924 – 29 April 1926
16CaptainCyril Benson13 September 1926 – June, 1928
17CaptainBertram Watson31 May 1928 – April, 1930(later V.Adm.)
18CaptainHugh RogersJune 1930 – May, 1932
19CaptainGerald Harrison29 April 1932 – 18 October 1933(later R.Adm.)
20CaptainRhoderick McGrigor22 September 1936(later Adm. of the Fleet)
21CaptainGeorge H. Creswell1 May 1939 – 2 January 1940
22CaptainPhilip Louis Vian1 January 1940 – 12 July 1941(later Adm. of the Fleet)
Flotilla is re-established in 1946 until March 1951.
21CaptainRalph G. Swallow1946-August 1949
22CaptainDeric Holland-MartinAugust 1949 – 1950

Composition 1946 to 1950

Included:[10]
United Kingdom, Home Fleet 1946-1948
4th Destroyer Squadron

United Kingdom, Home Fleet 1949
4th Destroyer Squadron

  • HMS Agincourt (Leader)
  • HMS Aisne
  • HMS Alamein
  • HMS Barrosa
  • HMS Corunna
  • HMS Dunkirk
  • HMS Jutland

United Kingdom, Home Fleet 1950
4th Destroyer Squadron

  • HMS Agincourt (Leader)
  • HMS Aisne - (to September 1950)
  • HMS Alamein
  • HMS Barrosa
  • HMS Corunna
  • HMS Dunkirk
  • HMS Jutland - (to April 1950)

References

  1. ↑ Hobbs, David (2014). Warships of the Great War Era: A History in Ship Models. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 9781848322127.
  2. ↑ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. G. Smith, 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Willmott, H. P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 1: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922. Bloomington, IN, USA: Indiana University Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0253003560.
  4. ↑ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Brassey's Naval and Shipping Annual. London, England: William Clowes and Sons, Limited. 1921. p. 5.
  6. ↑ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1919-1939". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 2 September 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939-1945". www.naval-history.net. n Smith, 19 September 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947-2013: FLOTILLAS AND SQUADRONS 1947-1971". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 12 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ↑ Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. "Fourth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell, 18 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  10. ↑ Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment 1947-2013". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 12 July 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2017.

Sources

  • Brassey's Naval and Shipping Annual. London, England: William Clowes and Sons, Limited. 1921.
  • Harley, Simon; Lovell, Tony. (2018) "Fourth Destroyer Flotilla (Royal Navy) - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Harley and Lovell.
  • Hobbs, David (2014). Warships of the Great War Era: A History in Ship Models. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848322127.
  • Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1900-1914". www.naval-history.net. G. Smith.
  • Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployment, Inter-War Years 1914-1918". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
  • Watson, Dr Graham. (2015) "Royal Navy Organisation in World War 2, 1939-1945". www.naval-history.net. Gordon Smith.
  • Willmott, H. P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 1: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922. Bloomington, IN, USA: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253003563.
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